INTRODUCTION nty exists about the dis-tribution of continents in late Precambrian time. This uncertainty is due to the frag-mentary record of these old rocks, to in-complete information, and to …

Precambrian time spans almost nine- tenths of Earth history, from the formation of the Earth to the dawn of the Cambrian Period. It represents time so vast and long ago that it challenges all comprehension.

With that disclaimer, however, I have attempted here to present to you the basics of the fossil record of the Precambrian and some of its implications for the early evolution of life.

We outline criteria and evidence for the operation of plate tectonics in the Precambrian1.

Precambrian time (all of geologic time before the Cambrian Pe-riod) began when the Earth became a solid entity about 4.5 billion years ago and ended when the Cambrian Period began, about 570 …

If so, it would have quickly been lost into space because Earth’s gravity is insufficient to retain them. Today, Earth’s biosphere consists of millions of species of bacteria, fungi, protistans, plants, and …

Global Precambrian sketch-map showing the distribution of Precambrian cratons including exposed shields (cratons, fold-belts, blocks, etc.) and buried (sub-Phanerozoic) platforms, together with …